Grandma's recess: May 2013

The New Orleans church (before service)

We are still at sea and no, it was not our ship that caught fire. This time Carnival was not involved and for that we are very, very thankful. We did feel sorry for those folks on the Royal Caribbean ship stranded in the Bahamas and remember that it was just a couple cruises previous to that one that some of our family was aboard that very ship out of Baltimore.

This will be the one and only post from our cruise time. I will post again (hopefully) on Sunday night after we arrive in Mobile for the rest of our Navy reunion trip.

So far we are still working on house money as this cruise was a result of our credit card points that resulted in pretty much a free cruise plus about $400 onboard credit. Love to spend other people’s money.

Leaving New Orleans

On Sunday we arose at the hotel in Slidell, got cleaned up and headed back to the First Church of the Nazarene in New Orleans. This is the same church that I made five truck driving trips down and back during the relief effort.

Perhaps the most memorable of the trips was the one that I made in March 2006. Our daughter-in-law was expecting her first child and it wasn’t due until after I got back. Joan predicted that my venture south would likely cause the child to arrive early. You can guess who was right.

Almost on cue as I pulled into southern Mississippi, about an hour out of New Orleans, my cellphone rang and it was Joan telling me that I was a grandfather again. Anxious to get home to see my new little granddaughter I pulled the truck up in front of the church, turned the keys over to the crew that was working there and told them I was going upstairs to a quiet room to take a nap.

Joan in the main dining room

They were to unload the truck, fill it with gas and then wake me after I had 6-8 hours sleep so I could begin the 20-hour drive back home. I had left Michigan on Friday night, arrived in New Orleans on Saturday morning, left New Orleans Saturday evening and was back home in Michigan by Sunday morning and visiting my granddaughter early Sunday afternoon. I went to bed and died after that.

Anyway, back to the church, Joan and I arrived at the church in the middle of Bible study and stayed to worship with the congregation at 11 a.m. We had planned to leave about noon to get to the ship, but the worship was such we just couldn’t leave. Pastor Gilmore’s message was inspiring and we are so glad we stayed.

We departed the church about 1 p.m. and made the short drive to the Port of New Orleans arriving and unloading our baggage about 1:15 p.m. We parked in the garage next to the ship and made our way through the boarding process and we were on board and in our room about 2:15 p.m.

Our cabin

Over the years (this is our 7^th cruise) we appreciate the changes the cruise line has made in the boarding process which makes it much easier and simpler that it was earlier. Much of the work is done online before you even arrive so there is little waiting once you are there.

As the ship departed New Orleans we spent about 90-minutes on deck watching the sights as we cruised leisurely down the Mississippi River. It take nearly six hours to navigate the inland waterway before you arrive at the Gulf of Mexico and trust me, we were long asleep by the time that happened.

The Carnival Conquest is another beautiful ship and we enjoyed the first night’s meal in the Monet Restaurant. I had linguini with Italian sausage and Joan had the Chicken al Grecque. For an appetizer I had a bowl of gazpacho and a Caesar Salad and Joan had Caesar Salad and a salmon appetizer that she really enjoyed.

Have to include a towel animal

On Monday we enjoyed a quiet day aboard ship. Having cruised before I knew that they might announce a back scene tour of the ship, which includes a trip to the bridge, engine room, galley, crew area, etc., but it always sells out quickly as they limit it to just about two dozen people. So I inquired first thing Monday at the excursion desk and they said, yes they would have the tour on Saturday on the last day at sea and that only 32 tickets were being sold. I snagged mine. They announced the tour about 10 a.m. and it was long gone by noon. Experience pays off once again.

I spent some time on deck reading my book “Fields of Honor,” a Civil War book by Edwin C. Bearss about the great battles of the War Between the States. Joan spent some time trying to dwindle down our onboard credit account at the floating slot machine parlor.

Winston our tour guide at the Croydon Plantation

It was “Elegant Night” on the cruise so I put on my suit and Joan her gown and we headed to dinner where she had lobster and I had prime rib. For an appetizer I tried “Alligator fritters,” which was really, really good. Joan had a Greek Farmer’s Salad. As always the service and food quality was wonderful.

Even before we went to dinner we sat in the lobby and listened to some good live music and then got a chance to meet and shake hands with the Master of the Vessel (we call it Captain in the Navy). Of course, this was the one time I forgot to have my camera with me.

We went to the early performance of “The Brits” which was live singing and dancing to the tunes of the Beatles, Bennie and the Jets, the Who and a bunch of other invaders from the 1960s.

After that we checked on the score of the Detroit Red Wing hockey game. At the time they were leading 2-1, but we learned on the 10:30 p.m. news that they lost 4-3, so I guess it’s all down to a Game 7 in Chicago Wednesday night. By the time I post this I will either be happy, or sad.

Joan with the plantation owner

On Monday and Tuesday I got up early went to the fitness center on the 11^th deck and got in a good workout both days. On my way back I picked Joan up a cup of coffee and then we went and had brunch in the Renoir Restaurant. We are being careful of what and how much we eat as a cruise can really throw a monkey wrench into a weight loss plan.

OK, so I’m sad. It is now Thursday and I caught the highlights (lowlights?) of Game 7 at the cruise ship sports bar, but I guess my consolation is that the Red Wings did a lot better than I thought they would.

Getting back on the ship in Montego Bay, Jamaica

Anyway back to the cruise. On Wednesday we arrived in Montego Bay, Jamaica about 8 a.m. and after breakfast Joan and I headed to our guided tour to the Croydon Plantation in the mountains above Montego Bay.

We really didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out to be an enjoyable tour, which included an interesting drive (translation: white knuckle, anxiety producing journey in a small bus hurtling along a narrow two-lane road with our driving taking his half of the road out of the middle.) But we made it up and back in one piece although I’m sure we all had a few more grey hairs after we got back to the ship.

The Plantation was very enjoyable and educational as we learned about and saw a great number of the agricultural products produced in Jamaica. One big surprise was that towards the end of the tour we were greeted by the owner of the plantation, who was a down to earth Jamaican native who talked to us about his vision and plans for the property, which he purchased back in 1980.

His original plan was to remove the massive bamboo growths from the acreage and replant it with pine trees (building wood is in short supply on the island and is imported). With a 30-year maturation date for his pine trees, he decided to plant other crops so that he would have a “weekly income.”

The marching band performs on the dock

He grows a wide variety of pineapple (previously I only thought there was one kind of pineapple – Dole) and we got to sample all six types that he grows on the property. He also grows coffee beans and a number of other local fruits, which we had a chance to sample.

The grounds of the property are impeccably kept and at the end of the tour we were treated to a traditional “Sunday Jamaican dinner” of jerk chicken, rice and beans and a green vegetable that looked a lot like spinach, but had a different name.

Our tour guides (we had one for the bus trip up and back and another for the plantation tour) were very interesting and we learned a great deal about Jamaican culture.

The country is desperately poor and you can see that in the buildings and number of people who seem to have no jobs or anything to do. Our tour guide said that the unemployment rate is officially reported at 15 percent, but the real numbers are more than 30 percent.

Joan at the sailaway from Jamaica

Gas is more than $6 (US) a gallon. The prices on the gas station are listed at $122 Jamaican dollars per liter, so you can see their dollar is not doing too well. Crime is high, but better than it was before the local police departments started getting help and training from US and Canadian police officials our guide said.

Everyone was very appreciative of our tourism and urged (make that begged) us to all come back soon. Tourism is the biggest economic factor in the country.

Back on the ship Joan and I did what we always do during port calls, we stood on the outside decks and watched as the drunk and tardy ship passengers struggled back to the ship, some of them with only moments to spare before they were left on the dock.

A local teenage band performed on the dock for donations and many of us wadded up bills and threw them down on the pier after they played the American National Anthem. Smart kids and I hope they collected a lot of money.

One thing good for me on a cruise is that compared to about 60 percent of the passengers I’m a pretty small guy. Not that I’m small but compared to this floating audition for “The Biggest Loser” I’m looking pretty fit.

It’s amazing to watch people who are clearly north of 400 pounds loading up plates (plural) with food at every meal and then trying to squash into chairs with arms so they can consume all this food. I’m guessing that by the time the ship arrives back in New Orleans the passengers collectively will leave the ship with an extra ton or three.

Joan and I have learned from previous cruises to moderate our eating. We eat lots of fruit (there is plenty of fresh fruit aboard) and we have a reasonable dinner and skip the chocolate buffet later in the evening. We usually do pretty well by the end of the cruise. I also make sure I walk at least four miles a day on the treadmill and jogging track on the ship.

The amount of drinking that goes on is pretty startling too. Sometime I can only imagine how huge the liquor locker is on this ship. I’m sure it is how the cruise ship makes most of its profit as the drinks are very expensive, but no one seems to care. Well, not until the last day when the purser slips the bill under their door.

Last night we ate in the main dining room again. This time I had a shark appetizer (very good) and the beef stronganoff. Joan had seafood newburg.

We spent part of the evening listening to our favorite live music group on the ship – Gentry – and then we retired early.

On Thursday, the ship pulled into the Port of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands, but Joan and I had already decided to stay aboard and skip the tours as we have been here previously and done the tours.

Turned out to be a good choice as it rained literally all day. We felt badly for the folks who had booked beach excursions as it would not have been a good day to sit out on a beach. The folks that opted for the snuba and scuba expeditions probably did a lot better. If you’re going to be wet it might as well be underwater looking at fish.

Thursday night was the second of two Elegant nights on the ship so we dressed up for dinner. Later we sat a listened to Gentry again. I had Chateaubriand (yum!) and Joan had a Greek dish that she likes in Greektown back home, but I’m not even going to try and spell it. It rhymes with cornucopia. It has pretty much everything I don’t like to eat in it.

I’m posting this on Friday while Joan is in Cozumel taking a Salsa cooking class. So I don’t know if she enjoyed it or not, but I’ll let you know Sunday when I post again from Mobile, Alabama. Hopefully she will take some nice photos there.

Internet rates on the ship are ridiculous so I’m putting this up and then getting off (75 cents a minute for Internet access). I'll put up more photos of the cruise Sunda night.

Alabama Welcome Center (near Huntsville)

It was another day on the highways and byways of America by me and Joan.

We left Nashville at 8:30 a.m. and crossed the rest of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana arriving in Slidell about 4:30 p.m.

After checking into the hotel we headed downtown to get our bearings for tomorrow’s trip to the Port, but I also wanted to see the Nazarene Church that I worked at during the Hurricane Katrina cleanup back in 2005 and 2006.

The outside of the church looks much as I remember it when I last saw it. There is considerably more landscaping and the interior of the church looks like it was set up for a wedding dinner.

The beautiful near 3-land bridge over Lake Ponchatrain

We took some photos and then headed back to Slidell for dinner.

One thing about a massive natural disaster like Katrina is that everything had to be rebuilt or completely remodeled. Everything down here seems brand spanking new. A bit of an exaggeration, but the hotels and restaurants all look new.

The bridge over Lake Ponchatrain has been considerably improved since we used it in the months after the hurricane. Instead of a patched together two-lane road the bridge is now a beautiful six-lane highway (3 lanes in each direction).

Me in front of the restored church

Many of the neighborhoods have been worked on, but you can see occasional signs of homes and businesses that are still boarded up.

There were many wonderful memories of a very difficult time for the folks in this part of the country. I made many good friends during my work here. We are going to try and go to a morning services at the Nazarene Church tomorrow morning before heading to the Port.

I haven’t had Australian food for a while so we headed to the local Outback Restaurant to fill up on some Australian cuisine.

Below I'm going to post a few photos of the church during my visits in 2005 and 2006.

Me still at the restored front door of the church yesterday

The truck you see in the picture is the one I drove down to New Orleans five times over six months carrying equipment and supplies to the church. If you look closely you can see the waterline about 6-feet up on the church and house walls in the neighborhood.

For some reason I was having difficulty adding more photos to this so there is a separate post below with more photos from the earlier relief work. Simply scroll down.